Explorer Zebulon Pike sent two bear cubs to President Thomas Jefferson in November of 1807. Pike intended them as a living testimony to life in the American West, about which little was known. At that time, only one-tenth of Americans lived in the western territory. Jefferson kept the cubs briefly on the lawn near his house and then sent them to Mr. Charles Willson Peale for his Philadelphia museum. The cubs were not given names by President Jefferson.
Jack the Turkey belonged to President Lincoln's White House. President Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, were indulgent parents in that they allowed their children to have all sorts of pets. One was Jack, with whom the Lincoln's son Tad played endlessly. When it was time for Jack to be sacrificed for the White House Thanksgiving meal, Tad successfully lobbied for a pardon. To this day, the White House maintains the tradition of pardoning a wild turkey each Thanksgiving season.
Benjamin Harrison had a goat named Old Whiskers. Old Whiskers was often hitched to a cart so that he could carry the Harrison grandchildren around the White House lawn. One day, while President Harrison was waiting at the front of the White House for a carriage, Old Whiskers snuck through the open gate. He took off down Pennsylvania Avenue, with the President in pursuit. The President carried his top hat and waved his cane, shouting, but Old Whiskers couldn't be persuaded to stop until many residents had a chance to see their leader chasing a goat down the street. The grandchildren were unharmed!
Among the many pets in the White House of Theodore Roosevelt was Josiah the Badger. Josiah had been tossed on to the Presidential train as it traveled through Kansas in 1903 by a little girl, who shouted the animal's name to the President. Josiah was bottle-fed until he cut his teeth, at which point he started to nip at any legs available. About his pet, President Roosevelt wrote to Senator Lodge on June 6, 1903, "Josiah, the young badger, is hailed with the wildest enthusiasm by the children and has passed an affectionate but passionate day with us. Fortunately, his temper seems proof."
George Washington was such an animal lover that he once returned British General Howe's dog, a prisoner of war, under a flag of truce. Washington's favorite animal was his horse, Nelson. He rode Nelson when he accepted General Charles Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown, the battle that ended the Revolutionary War. So, Nelson not only witnessed history, he participated in it!
Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, were renowned animal lovers. Instead of a fruit basket or bottle of wine, a voter in Mississippi once sent them a raccoon to be enjoyed as part of their Thanksgiving dinner. The Coolidge's promptly named her Rebecca and proceeded to take her on walks, at the end of a leash, on the White House lawn. President Coolidge was so enamoured of the raccoon that he built her a special house and visited her every day. What's more, when the White House was being renovated and the Coolidge family had to move out for a short time, the President was so worried that Rebecca would miss them that he had a limousine sent to pick her up from the White House.
President Woodrow Wilson had a herd of sheep during his White House years. One, an old ram named Old Ike, liked to chew tobacco. During World War I, President Wilson allowed the sheep to graze on the White House lawn. This was part of the family's war effort; with sheep keeping the grass trimmed, no manpower was needed for that job. When they were shorn, the sheep's wool was auctioned to raise money for the Red Cross.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his family had many pets. Roosevelt's favorite, though, was clearly his Scottish terrier, named Fala (after Murray of Murray Hill, a famous Roosevelt ancester). Fala was given to the President by his cousin, Margaret Suckley. Fala was almost always with Roosevelt. In fact, in 1941 when the President met Winston Churchill in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean aboard the USS Augusta to sign the Atlantic Charter, Fala was with the two world leaders. At the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., a statue of Fala sits next to that of her beloved master. Margaret Suckley helped write a biography of Fala called The True Story of Fala.
Harry S Truman was distinguished for many reasons, one of them being that he wasn't much of an animal lover. Despite this, a woman from his home state of Missouri sent him a Cocker Spaniel, which Truman named Feller. In a move that upset dog lovers across the nation, Truman decided that he didn't want to raise a dog in the White House and gave Feller to his personal physician. The spaniel was thereafter referred to as Feller, the Unwanted Dog.
John F. Kennedy's family loved animals and their White House was full of them. Jacqueline Kennedy designed a special play area for her children, Caroline and John, by the West Wing, which included housing for their animals. Caroline Kennedy was given a pony by then-Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Caroline named her pony Macaroni and Macaroni received letters from children all over the world. During the winter, when snow fell, Macaroni often pulled Caroline and John all over the White House grounds in a sled.
President Johnson's beloved Yuki was a mongrel dog found at a Texas gas station by first daughter Luci Johnson. Many photographs capture the image of Johnson howling, Yuki perched on his lap, joining in.
Gerald Ford had a golden retriever named Liberty, which was given to him by his daughter, Susan. Liberty gave birth to a litter of puppies at the White House in 1975. The Fords kept one of the puppies, which they named Misty. Photos of Liberty were autographed with a rubber stamp of her paw print. White House legend has it that Ford used Liberty at meetings in the Oval Office. When he wanted the meeting to end, he would signal Liberty, who would approach the guest with her tail wagging. This would cause a break in the conversation and allow Ford to wrap up the meeting.
Grits the dog was given to Amy Carter, daughter of the President, by one of her teachers. Although the President's White House diary records a meeting on June 8, 1977 between Carter; Amy Carter; Mr. Herbert Ford, a dog handler; Mrs. Herbert Ford; and Grits himself; the dog was eventually returned to the teacher and replaced with Misty Malarky Yong Yang, a Siamese cat.
Rex, a King Charles Spaniel, went to live with President and Nancy Reagan when he was a year old. Formerly owned by William F. Buckley, Jr., the conservative columnist, Rex was given to Nancy Reagan by her husband as an early Christmas present on December 6, 1985. His first official act as First Dog was to help the President pull the switch to turn on the White House Christmas tree. Rex had a sumptuous doghouse, which featured framed portraits of Ronald and Nancy and red curtains. The doghouse was designed by Theo Hayes, the great-great grandson of former President Rutherford B. Hayes. Rex often pulled very hard on his leash and was photographed many times pulling President Reagan away from reporters posing questions.
A Springer Spaniel belonging to George and Barbara Bush, Millie holds the distinction as being the first dog known to have authored a book. With the First Lady's help, she penned Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush. In it, Millie gives a dog's-eye view of life in the Bush White House. In addition, Millie gave birth to several puppies while living at the White House. One of these puppies, Spot, became First Dog to President George W. Bush.
Socks the cat joined the Clinton White House while First Daughter Chelsea was a young girl. Chelsea's piano teacher found two kittens playing under her porch one day. She tried to locate the mother, but was unsuccessful. When the First Lady brought Chelsea for her piano lesson, they noticed the two kittens playing. Chelsea held out her arms and one kitten, black with white feet, jumped into her arms. The cat was named Socks for her distinctive markings. Hillary Rodham Clinton later wrote a book titled Dear Socks, Dear Buddy which includes letters written to Socks and Buddy (the Clinton's chocolate Labrador retriever) by children from around the world. Since both Bill and Hillary Clinton are allergic to cats, Socks was always Chelsea's cat. When Chelsea went off to Stanford University, Socks was adopted by Betty Currie, President Clinton's White House Secretary.
Ernie, a tomcat, was found, hiding in a tree, by Spot, the First Dog. Ernie, an orange and white cat, was named after Ernest Hemingway because, like the famous author, Ernie has six toes on each foot. In April 2001, Ernie was kicked out of the White House for his wild ways (among his crimes: shredding White House furniture). Ernie was taken in by Bush family friends in California.
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